Solid Majority of Tennesseans Support Opportunity Scholarships

by TennesseeCAN posted on March 13, 2017March 16, 2017

TennesseeCAN Releases New Poll Results

More than six in ten Tennesseans support giving taxpayer-funded scholarships to children in the state’s lowest-performing schools to attend a private school of their choice, according to a poll released today from TennesseeCAN.

In a survey of 500 likely voters from across the state, 61 percent voiced support for giving taxpayer-funded opportunity scholarships to low-income students zoned to attend the bottom 5% of public schools in the state. The scholarship proposal is popular among Tennesseans in each grand division of the state, supported by 55% in West Tennessee, 64% in Middle Tennessee and 62% in East Tennessee.

“The new data shows that a majority of Tennessee voters support giving scholarships that will provide more educational opportunities to the families and students who need them most,” said Charlie Bufalino, Director of Policy for TennesseeCAN. “Legislators considering the opportunity scholarship legislation should know that a majority of Tennesseans support this proposal.”

The poll was conducted via landline and cell phones from March 2-5, 2017, and has a margin of error of +/- 4.38%.

Last week, legislation establishing a pilot Opportunity Scholarship program for low-income students in districts with over 30 underperforming schools received unanimous votes in the House Education Administration & Planning committee and the Senate Education committee, garnering 14-0 votes in total.